


Between Invitations

by WordMusician



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, The bits inbetween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-22 13:31:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordMusician/pseuds/WordMusician
Summary: Clive showed Rose photos of the Ninth Doctor in Earth history.  This is the story behind those photos and why they are so important.





	1. 1911

**Author's Note:**

> I love to play with "loose ends". Here is my theory on why the Doctor appeared in those photos and why he came back to invite Rose to join him the second time.

The Doctor’s face was clouded with disappointment.  Of course there was always the chance that his invitation would be turned down, and this wasn’t the first time a potential companion had said no.  She was right to think of her mum and her friend.  She was being mature and responsible.  She was also being beautifully sacrificial because he=d seen that glint in her eyes.  He knew that glint.  It was the spark of curiosity, of adventure, of bigger and better, and wilder and wonderful...  Once upon a time he'd had that same glint.  Over the ages it had been snuffed out of him but still, he'd fancied he'd got it back again... for just a little while... with her....

"Right then; I’ll be off," he stated fatalistically and firmly closed the door on his hopes.  He sent the TARDIS into the vortex without a destination in mind and just watched the time rotor rise and fall. 

After a few moments he huffed and frowned.  What was this melancholia he was feeling?  Hadn’t he been the one to push her away:  " _Run for your life,"_ _"_ _Now, forget you ever met me."_   He was old, incredibly old.  He was alien.  He was broken and battle scarred, grumpy and acerbic, quite rough around the edges.  What did he want with an innocent 19 year old Earth girl?   Still he couldn’t shake off the surge of wild hope he'd experienced as she had swung on that chain and knocked him free of the Auton’s grip. Hope.  Yes, that was what he wanted from her. The Time War had leeched away every bit of hope.  He craved it.  He thirsted for it and now that he'd had a taste he wanted more.  

"But she said no," he told the cavernous control room, "And I'm not a man of second chances."  Resolutely, he hit the randomizer.  "Take me somewhere, old friend."

 

The Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS and then shot a puzzled look back over his shoulder.  "England again and how is that exactly random?" The TARDIS was silent and he shrugged philosophically before stepping outside.

He was back on board within a quarter of an hour full of frustration and ire.  South Hampton 1911.  "What are we doing here?  The Titanic is a fixed event; even you know that!  All those people are going to die -- am I supposed to watch death again?  How is that good?  Didn’t I see enough in the Time War?"  Ignoring the flickering display screen He stomped past the console to his barely used bedroom for a proper sulk.

On his bed was laid out a formal butler's uniform.  "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he growled and spun on his booted heel to march back to the console room.  "Now you look here..."

The TARDIS let out a piercing whistle and sparked ominously.  Her Thief could be so difficult at times and this last regeneration was as volatile and prickly as the sixth; perhaps even more.  With a silent sigh she once more brought up the needed information on the display screen.  She colored the background mauve for emphasis.

Silently the Doctor read the circular script.  "So the Prentice family just had their butler/valet give notice and posted an advert for a replacement. I'm to apply, yeah?  What for?  Why does a time lord want to be some stupid ape's butler?"  The Doctor tried to reach out with his time sense but without these Prentices in the room with him, he could not get any impression of what was to happen, or not happen as it were.  "Alright, you have my attention and since you’ve gone to all the trouble of kitting me out, I don't suppose I'll get you to depart before I have a look see, am I right?"  The ship was smugly silent.  "Thought so.  Fine."

Despite himself, the Doctor began to care for his employer and family as the days passed. Mrs. Prentice was a lovely woman, devoted her to children and her charity work at the local hospital.  She smiled often and had a kind word for him when he served table each meal.  She was the benign force that kept the household running smoothly and for the most part happily.

Mr. Prentice was a typical Edwardian husband and father.  He loved his family deeply but he felt awkward showing tenderness (the Doctor could relate) and more often than not he found it easier to discuss the day with his man servant than his family members.  The Doctor was the first to sense that Mr. Prentice was dissatisfied with his work as a senior level accountant connected with a brokerage house.  In Mr. Prentice the Doctor could see his own wanderlust, his own chafing at societal restrictions and expectations.

Teddy Prentice was a serious boy whose silence was unnerving at times.  The Doctor knew that Teddy watched him and noticed when he fell short of being the perfect butler/valet.  They rarely spoke and when they did the Doctor felt as if he was talking with a miniature adult.  Teddy's intelligence outstripped his age considerably and the Doctor found he had to monitor his conversations carefully so as not to introduce any anachronistic elements. The Doctor could appreciate Teddy’s mind – clever by human standards, and it made him wonder if Teddy was the reason the TARDIS had set him up here.

But it was little Marion Prentice, who truly wormed her way under the Doctor's defenses.  Marion was a bubbly girl of barely 5.  She quickly took to following him around as he did his duties until her mother would call for her.  She had a question for everything and always seemed interested in his answers even when he knew she didn’t always understand. His complete undoing was the afternoon she came to him in tears and silently held up her broken doll.  Trust shone from her taffy brown eyes as she begged him to save her favourite toy from the dust bin.  "Please, Smith.  I love her!"  He accepted the request with a promise to see what he could do once he'd served the Ladies Aide their tea.  Once out of Marion's sight, he had used his sonic screwdriver to reattach the defective arm and mend a little girl"s heart.  Her brilliant smile was all the reward required.

 "How do you feel about traveling, Smith?" asked Mr. Prentice one evening as the Doctor helped him undress from a formal dinner. 

"Travel sir?"

"Yes.  I was speaking with an old friend tonight.  Said he's booked passage on that new ship, the Titanic.  Not only is he going to be part of seagoing history, but he's going to stay in New York and open a new business.  He’s offered me a placement."

The Doctor masked his emotions carefully.  "I see, sir."

"I haven't spoken to Margaret yet, but I'm thinking of accepting. There is no opportunity for advancement at the brokerage without having the capital to buy into the partnership."

"That's quite something, sir: sounds rather drastic."

"Not drastic, Smith, exciting, a fresh start, a new life.  I thought you'd see it that way too.  I understand many people of your standing are jumping at the chance – so many that there is now a lottery for third-class tickets.   Fortunately I have the funds to purchase second-class passage if I do so quickly.  This is what I need.   And it would be good for the children too."

Panic momentarily silenced the Doctor.  For the first time, he could feel the time lines wrapping around the Prentice family, spiraling around them, twisting and turning and ending abruptly.  None of them would survive. He now knew his purpose: he had to devise a way to stop them from making the doomed voyage.

Contrary to his fundamental understanding of existence on a linear plain, time now seemed to gain momentum.  Suddenly the house was a flurry of activity: packing, sorting and deliveries to the mission and charity house. The house was to be rented to a relative until such time as it could be sold and the proceeds wired to the Prentices in New York. Table talk was focused on life in America and reports of the luxurious, unsinkable Titanic.  The housekeeper/cook had elected to stay with the house and hopefully be employed by the new owners.  The Doctor had agreed to stay with the Prentices.  He had to keep them close until he could figure a way to change their future.

Inspiration struck in the form of a telegram Mr. Prentice received the night before they were to embark.  They had posed for a photograph that afternoon for the London Times, who had contracted with the Titanic=s owners to document all the passengers making this historic voyage.  First class passengers had been photographed first, then second class passengers and families.  Tomorrow they would take photographs of the third and forth class as they boarded.

"Margaret," Mr. Prentice began as he read the slip of paper, "It seems my uncle Samuel -- remember him, I dare say I hardly do -- has passed away.  The funeral is to be in Leeds four days hence."  He folded the paper and set it beside his pipe.  "We shall already be underway.  I will send a wire to extend our condolences and explain our situation."  Mr. Prentice beckoned the Doctor and gave him the telegram, with instructions to reply.  "If you go straight away, the telegraph office will still be open."

A short detour to the TARDIS and some jiggery-pokery later and the Doctor was striding back into the Prentice home with the way to save them. 

"Sir, a second telegram was waiting for you.  I intercepted the delivery boy."  He handed the official looking paper to Mr. Prentice.

Surprise swiftly gave way to shock and then jubilation.  "This is from Uncle Samuel's solicitor.  Apparently I am his sole beneficiary!  A small manner house in Leeds and a few thousand pound a year!"

"Oh Phillip!"gasped Mrs. Prentice.  "But that changes everything, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, indeed my dear.  How fortuitous that this message arrived tonight and not tomorrow!  Smith, I have another urgent errand for you.  Go down to the harbour and see the chief porter.  Our trunks must be off loaded from the Titanic immediately.  We will not be sailing to America after all."

The Doctor’s bow hid his smile and he quickly left to do his bidding.  Crisis averted; time lines now stretched out comfortingly into the future....

The Prentices were greatly puzzled at their dear butler's adamant refusal to journey with them to their new estate.  After all, he had been willing to sail half way around the globe; what was moving a few hundred miles away?

The Doctor’s small smile lasted for all of 93.76 seconds after he boarded the TARDIS and left 1911 England behind.  By the time he had shed his butler costume and redressed in his familiar jumper and leather jacket, his lips had settled into their familiar flat line and ice was once more pouring into his light blue eyes.

It had felt good to save the Prentices; too good. He'd changed the future, bent time just enough to let them escape. But the rest of the erstwhile passengers were not so lucky.  He was impotent to rescue them all and that impotence was galling.  His foreknowledge saddled him with responsibility and a heaping pile of guilt. In some ways getting to know the Prentices had made him more sensitive to the many others sailing merrily to their doom. 

That was why he wanted to keep his distance, to keep himself aloof and apart.  It was necessary for his sanity.  Yet he hadn’t been able to keep his distance from little Marion Prentice and by extension her family.  Something about that little girl had tugged at him, made him desperate to keep her happy and keep her safe.  Something about her had reminded him of Rose Tyler.

Rose Tyler.  There she was again: the girl who'd said no to him.  So, what was it about her that kept him from jettisoning her into his long term memory? 

The Doctor rolled his shoulders to ease the tension and made his way to the console room.  Perfect time for another adventure; he'd work her out of his system sooner or later....


	2. 1883

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He understood cause and effect better than anyone, except perhaps his TARDIS." The Doctor takes another step toward reconsidering his invitation to Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know anything about Krakatoa until I did some homework for this. Wow. The impact of this event was amazing.

He stepped out of the TARDIS onto an empty sand beach.  He took a moment to test the air and feel the planet's gravity.  Earth.  Again.  He shook his head at the TARDIS's lack of imagination and struck out across the beach to try and discover what had brought them here. 

"You'd better not be trying to tell me to take a holiday," he muttered darkly.  "I'm not in the mood!"

Krakatoa, Indonesia, 1883.  Once the Doctor had figured this out he groaned aloud.  The volcanic eruptions of Krakatoa were a fixed event that would affect the entire planet.  The island was uninhabited so there was no one to evacuate.  What was he doing here if he couldn’t stop the volcano?  For a moment the Doctor wished for his eighth incarnation’s long hair, just so he could pull it out.

The catechism would not happen until August, a good 5 months away yet the Doctor was overwhelmed at the scope of damage to come. While there was no one else on the island itself the concussion of the explosions would impact everyone for miles.  There would be tsunamis.  Deadly dust clouds.   How could he warn away the ships that would be sailing too near the island?  And if he devised a plan, just who would believe him in time?  Blast the meddling TARDIS!  That was the very last time he would ever use the randomizer. Once this was sorted he had a date with a certain time-traveling ship's navigational wiring!  In fact, he was deeply tempted to rip open the grating and begin straight away.

Instead he spent the night sitting on the beach watching the stars.

Early the next morning, the Doctor walked the beach again trying to separate his emotions from his thoughts.  Caring too much was a bad thing, and yet... he was the Doctor... doctors were to heal, to save, to fix.... What was he here to fix, for Rassilon’s sake?  Suddenly he wished Krakatoa had cats.  He would dearly love to kick a cat right now.

Lorries from a warship were rowing into the shallows.  The Doctor paused to watch as the men drew near.

"Ahoy!  We understood this island was uninhabited.  Are you marooned?"  The man was dressed in a German Naval Lieutenant uniform and seemed to be in charge of the landing party.

 "Hello, I'm the Doctor.  No I'm not marooned, thank you."  He gave him his best I-am-friendly-and-harmless-grin.  After so long, it felt alien on his face.  The irony of that experience was not lost on him.

 :Where is your ship then, sir?"

 "Other side of the island," he replied and before the other man could question him further he took charge of the conversation, "What does the _Kaiserliche Marine_ want with Krakatoa?"

 "We are on maneuvers.  While the engineers do some routine maintenance, the Captain ordered the men on shore for some exercise."

The Doctor was silent for a moment, studying the men on the beach, just as they were studying him.  "Tell your Captain that there will be volcanic activity on this island very soon.  He would be better leaving the area and conducting his maintenance elsewhere."

"These volcanoes have been dormant for over 200 years.  How do you know this will happen? Are you a scientist, Sir?"

 "You could say that yes," the Doctor folded his arms across his chest.

The Lieutenant frowned.  He didn’t like this development.  He had his orders.  "Perhaps you should speak to the Captain, yourself."  He turned to the young sailor beside him, "Take the Doctor aboard and report to the Captain.  The rest of us will begin our exercises."

The designated man saluted smartly and climbed back into one of the boats.  The Doctor followed him thoughtfully.  Perhaps this was why he was here. Perhaps this was a way to get the word out and do some damage control before the eruption.  The row boat was designed to be manned by two, but this sailor was tall and seemed to manage the oars quite easily. The Doctor leaned back and enjoyed the short ride across the water.

Once on board, he was quickly escorted to the bridge and presented to the Captain.  "That will be all, Ensign Tyler."

Wait!  What?  The Doctor didn’t believe in coincidences, particularly where his TARDIS was concerned.  He watched the young man salute and leave the bridge.  He wanted to chase after him, but knew he’d be immediately detained.

"So, Doctor, tell me why you are on my ship."

 While the Doctor gave the Captain some scientific information about what was happening beneath the surface of the island, another part of his mind was pondering the implications of one Ensign Tyler present on board.

"Allow me my skepticism, Doctor.  There has been no documented volcanic activity on this island for over 200 years.  There have been no other reports of activity now.  Why should I change my orders based on your word?  Who are you again?"

The Doctor curbed the sarcastic words that sprang so easily to this incarnation's tongue.  "My understanding of the geological composition of this planet is extensive.  I have absolutely no doubt that what I have described to you will occur and if you depart immediately, you will be able to witness its beginnings. You will also live to tell the tale to your superiors."  The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly, "Of course, the decision is yours, Captain.  But if I am right you and your crew will not live to tell anything.  I, on the other hand, fully intend to leave this island and I will have one or two stories to tell the world about this ship and its unlucky Captain."  He arched a pale eyebrow and let his icy gaze convey his seriousness.

The Captain stared at him for a few moments before blinking and breaking eye contact.  "You are very impressive, sir.  Unfortunately I am not in a position to act upon your information.  I told my crew that the engineers had some routine maintenance to complete before we were underway. I sent all but the necessary crew away on maneuvers to keep them busy. But the work is actually more extensive and sensitive; if the repairs are not fully completed, we will be dead in the water -- either way."

"I can help," offered the Doctor.

"You?  I thought you were a geologist."

"I have doctorate degrees in many things."

"My men can handle it."

"I can help," he repeated stubbornly. "Time is important."

The Captain sighed, "Fine. This is a state-of-the-art German warship and I don't believe you can do any more than my trained men.  But if you insist, I will allow you access to the engineering room.  You will be closely monitored so that you don't walk away with any national secrets.  Any sabotage will be seen as an act of war and you will be summarily executed."

The Doctor barely stopped from rolling his eyes; state-of-the-art indeed!  If only the Captain knew!   He couldn’t hide his grin when the escorting sailor turned out to be Ensign Tyler again.  Once they reached the engine room, the Doctor quickly manufactured a reason to keep the ensign with him for the duration.  He was eager to learn who this young man was and if he might possibly be an ancestor to Miss-why-can't-I-get-you-out-of-head Rose Tyler.

It turned out that Ensign Tyler did have relatives in London: an eccentric uncle who dabbled in strange inventions and an indulgent aunt who financed him through an inheritance.  The Doctor encouraged the ensign to embrace his love of travel and to take a trip to England.  "Perhaps when your tour of duty is over," he suggested.  Once more, the Doctor felt a twist and twang of altering time lines as he clapped Ensign Tyler on the shoulder.

Of course the Doctor was a tremendous help to the naval engineers.  He had to be careful just how helpful so that no one was more suspicious of him than they already were.  If the repaired engines could now safely travel a few knots more than previously designed, was that actually his fault or just the impressive skills of the clever Germans? 

 

The Doctor watched from the shore as the warship headed to sea.  He continued to watch it until it was no longer a tiny speck that even his superior sight could track.  Since leaving the Powell Estates the Doctor had changed the destiny of two different Earth families.  Nobody important to the annals of Earth or galactic history and yet the Doctor had to wonder if he was meddling in a bigger picture.  He understood cause and effect better than anyone, except perhaps his TARDIS.  The TARDIS.  She had orchestrated these last two adventures, to what end?


	3. 1963

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here I explain what the Doctor was doing on the motorcade route.

_She had orchestrated these last two adventures, to what end?_

To what end, indeed," he mused later leaning back against the TARDIS as he watched the scene before him.  This was not Kaspradelphia.  Nope not even close.  This was Earth -- AGAIN.  Judging by the populace, their transportation and the degree of pollutants in the air, he would estimate early 1960's.  Listening to bits of conversation, he would also say it was America.

With his time senses on full alert, the time lord began basic reconnaissance.  The TARDIS was being stubbornly mysterious.  He was on his own to learn why he was here instead of on Kaspradelphia bartering for a dimensional dampening converter with his favourite shady parts dealer.

The Doctor’s hearts raced and cold sweat broke out between his shoulder blades as he stared at the newspaper stand.  November 22, 1963 Dallas Texas; _President Visits Today_  was the headline.  The day JFK is assassinated! It was impossible that he was here to prevent that; it was a fixed point with a veritable nest of causal timelines rippling out from it.  But by now the Doctor was seeing a pattern.  He was here to save someone -- someone who was seemingly insignificant yet important to the TARDIS and therefore somehow to him.  Who?  Where and when?

He began to follow the crowds as people made their way to the designated parade route.  He listened intently to the conversations around him, stretching out his senses and trying to find his purpose.  Maybe he was supposed to go to the hospital where they would rush JFK?  But the time currents seem to guide his feet in this direction.  Eventually he found himself in the crush of people only meters away from where it would happen.

And then the motorcade was upon them.  The shot rang out and suddenly it was pandemonium.  The crowd panicked and began to push and shove each other in a desperate bid to either see what was going on or to run to safety.  The Doctor’s superior height and physical strength kept him from being jostled too much, but others were not so fortunate.  A young woman screamed nearby and disappeared under the rush of moving bodies.

"Hey!" shouted the Doctor and shoving people away, bent down and grabbed the frightened girl by the arm.  He pulled her up and held her steady as people surged around them.  "Are you alright?"

She nodded jerkily, clinging to his leather jacket.  An older woman appeared on the other side of her and put a gentling hand on her shoulder.  "Rosalie!  Thank heavens you're alright!  I saw you go down.  Are you hurt?  Thank you sir, so much!"

Rosalie looked up at the Doctor.  "You saved me."

The Doctor smiled, "That’s what I do: save tourists who get into trouble."  Rosalie had a decidedly London accent.  What she was doing here, he had no idea but he was positive that this was what the TARDIS had sent him to do

But, you have an accent too, so why did you call us tourists?" asked the other woman.

"Me? I'm not a tourist – just a traveler. I heard Rosalie's accent and knew she wasn’t from Texas.  You on the other hand are a native."

"I’m Dallas born and bred.  Rosalie and my Angela exchanged places for their senior year of cultural studies.  Oh!  I can't believe we are having this civilized conversation when the President has just been shot!"  Tears began to stream down the woman's face.

The Doctor quickly took command of the situation, vainly trying to offer sympathy.  He ushered the two ladies off to the side, finding some protection next to a building.  "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked Rosalie, wondering about injuries from her fall and being somewhat trampled.

"I’ll be a bit sore and my hose are ruined, but I'm okay, truly."

Reassured, the Doctor turned his attention to the older woman who was making good use of the hankie from her purse.  "I think you had better get Rosalie home now.  Nothing more can be learned here."  Distant sirens punctuated his words.  "Which way?"

The Doctor helped the women move through the crowd in the direction of their parked car and then saw them safely away before threading his own way back to the TARDIS.

 

He sat on the jump seat and thoughtfully watched the time rotor as they cruised in the Vortex. "Alright.  I know you are sending me some sort of message with all these visits to Earth.  And they have to do with Rose, don't they?  Have you somehow forgotten?  She said no.  She’s not coming with us.  Why can't you let it alone?"

The TARDIS moaned. 

"Don't roll your metaphorical eyes at me!  I asked her, remember?  I was there!" he huffed.

He jumped off the seat and began to pace around the console.  "I agree she is brilliant.  She was brave and kind.  Why she puts up with that idiot of a boyfriend, I’ll never understand.  And her mother!  Don't get me started on her mother!  How Jackie Tyler raised a quality person like Rose is one of the 11 wonders of the universe!"

The TARDIS lurched and abruptly landed.  "Oi!  I was talking here," the Doctor protested.  "I didn’t give you any coordinates to land."

The lights on the console went dark as if to say there would be no more talking or traveling for now.

Slamming his hand down on the edge of the console in protest, the Doctor strode to the TARDIS doors.  "We are not finished, you and I," he growled threateningly.  "Don't forget who it is who does your wiring!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is Rosalie to Rose? I suggest this is Jackie's mum. Here she is in her senior year (so early 20's) and Jackie was born in 1967, four years later, so there is time enough for her to graduate, marry and have a child. Perhaps Jackie was named after Jackie Kennedy, since Rosalie was there the day JFK was shot. Just my musings... These are backstory details the Doctor will never know.


	4. 1998

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the Doctor got to play Father Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Clive didn't have a photo of this event (and wouldn't that have just freaked out Rose), but I felt this made sense in my scheme of things.

By now he had stopped arguing with the TARDIS about his destinations. It didn't seem to matter where he wanted to go, the ship had a different agenda and was ignoring his efforts completely. Once the time rotor stopped he fatalistically checked the monitor screen: he was on the Powell Estates, near the Tyler apartment.  The Estate looked in marginally better condition: there was less graffiti and tattered posters, he deduced that this was sometime earlier than 2005.  The TARDIS had parked under a fire escape and when he stepped out young voices drifted down from overhead. 

"You’re daft.  Your mum’ll never do it.  You’re setting yourself up for a big disappointment."

"I can't give up, Mickey.  I’ve just gotta get a bike.  It’s my only hope now."

The Doctor’s hearts skipped a beat.  If that was Mickey talking, then the young girl's voice might be Rose....

"I’m sorry I can't walk you home from school anymore."

"It’s not your fault.  You graduated to a new school, plus you got that job sweeping up down at the garage."

"But it ain't right; I wish I could make those bullies leave you alone."

The Doctor frowned at the mention of bullies.  Who was bullying Rose? 

"You can't and that's why I gotta get a bike. I can ride to school and not take the shortcut through the park n’ still get home in time to babysit for Mrs. Reading."

"If you get a bike, it’ll just get nicked."

"Nope.  I’ve got it all planned.  The janitor said if I got to school before the first bell, n’ if I could wait until after the last bell to leave, he'd lock it up in his shed."

"Yeah, really?  I think he’s sweet on you."

"No way!  Don't be gross.  He"s just nice n’ if I"m on time it won"t be any extra trouble for him."

"Still, your mum can't afford it Rose.  I don't care if it is Christmas."

"I know." There was a heavy sigh.  "But I gotta make it work somehow.  I have some money saved up from babysittin’.  It's not a lot, but maybe if we could pay on time...."

"How are you going to get your mum to understand how important this is without telling her the truth?"

"I dunna know."

There was silence for a few moments and the Doctor thought maybe they had gone when Mickey spoke up again.

"I've got a bit of money comin' in from my job."

"No Mickey, that money is for you and your gran.  Don't even tempt me.  Come on, I gotta go in, mum’ll be home any minute and I promised to have the dishes washed up.  Wanna help?"

The Doctor stood under the fire escape for a few minutes thinking about their conversation.  He admired Rose for her determination and her initiative to get out of a bad situation, but it was obvious that she needed his help.  Suddenly a wide grin softened his hard features.  "Just call me Father Christmas," he murmured and slipped inside the TARDIS.

 

First he made sure the flyer announcing the policemen's Annual Bike Sale of unclaimed lost or stolen bicycles made its way into Jackie Tyler's grocery bag.  Then he had a oh-so-casual conversation with Jackie's best friend Bev suggesting that this sale was an excellent way to get a good bike at a great price and then he let Bev think it was her idea to talk Jackie into going to get Rose her Christmas present.

Next the Doctor "donated" a beautiful red girl’s bike to the sale and placed a perception filter on it so that it went unnoticed until Jackie happened by.  A surreptitious flick of his trusty sonic screwdriver and her quick eyes were drawn to its shiny chrome. The ridiculously low price had her scampering to secure it for her daughter before you could say Raxacoricofallapatorius.  Jackie's grin was no smaller than the Doctor's where he stood hidden in the shadows.

He dearly wanted to spy on Rose Christmas morning when her dream came true but he couldn’t chance being seen before his time.  The TARDIS adamantly refused to allow him to set the coordinates anyway, but he refused to admit that sometimes his ship actually knew best.


	5. 2005+

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It appeared that for centuries the Doctor had been protecting Rose Marion Tyler's existence. Such single minded effort on the part of the TARDIS was staggering. The Doctor knew that the TARDIS saw time differently, understood cause and effect in a whole higher level."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter of exploring the in between bits. Hopefully I've woven in all the loose threads. Sorry for the ending BTW, but I'm trying to stay in the cannon 'verse and well, we know how this all ends.

"You’re not going to let this go, are you old girl?” the Doctor complained. “I’m wise to your scheme: you’re not going to let me give up on Rose Tyler. We will keep bouncing around on Earth until this is sorted and she agrees to come with us or I regenerate out of sheer frustration! I don't understand why Rose Tyler is so important to you and you haven’t bothered to explain, but I like her well enough. Want me to swallow my pride, do you? Well, never let it be said that I'm too proud to do the right thing." He pulled down the switch that sent the TARDIS back to the Powel Estates only moments after she had turned him down. When she really wanted to, the TARDIS had precision maneuverability.

With careful nonchalance, he poked his head out the door and called to Rose, “Did I mention it also travels in time?" He hoped he didn’t actually sound as pathetically hopeful as he felt. For reasons the TARDIS was keeping to herself, she demanded that Rose travel with them. If Rose still refused he was honestly afraid the TARDIS would keep him in this sci-fi version of Groundhog Day forever. 

The sudden smile Rose gave him was the perfect answer. 

 

The Doctor was pretty confident that when he had saved Ensign Tyler in 1883 he had saved one of Rose's ancestors. He felt pretty chuffed at that but he never told her about it. He didn’t probe into her timeline because that felt too much like an invasion of privacy. He never forgot how upset she was when she learned that the TARDIS "got into her head." He wasn’t anxious to have that upset directed at him again for something that was basically not his fault. He seemed to upset her often enough as it was, much to his chagrin.

 

When the Doctor heard Rose's full name for the first time, he swore the universe shifted beneath his feet. Rose Marion Tyler. Marion... the very same name as the little girl he had saved in 1911: Marion Prentice. The Doctor knew there was no such thing as coincidences. Had the TARDIS been taking him to weak points along Rose's ancestry to make sure that she was actually born and that they would someday meet? Why – for what over-arching purpose?

 

The day the Doctor heard Jackie refer to the cyberman ghost as "your Grandpa Prentice," the full weight of the storm fell upon him. With chilling clarity he remembered each of the adventures his previous self had undertaken before Rose came to join him. The Titanic, Krakatoa, Dallas 1963, Christmas 1998...he might never know who 1963 Rosalie was to Rose, but given how the TARDIS had led him to other people connected to Rose, no doubt she was too. 

It appeared that for centuries the Doctor had been protecting Rose Marion Tyler's existence. Such single minded effort on the part of the TARDIS was staggering. The Doctor knew that the TARDIS saw time differently, understood cause and effect in a whole higher level. Suddenly Bad Wolf took on a much greater import and the Doctor felt a thrill of terror. All the threads were coming together, to this point in time. It was a climax he did not know if they could survive, yet he also knew with every fiber of his being that he would ensure Rose's safety at whatever price required. 

So he contrived to keep her in the TARDIS and endured having Jackie at his side when they allowed themselves to be captured by Torchwood that terrible day.

When Rose left the TARDIS and gravitated back to him as he knew she was fated to do, he hung the accursed chain around her neck and sent his broken hearts across the void.

And when she promptly jumped back to be with him, he shouted his fear and impotence at her. All that surrounded them was death. He would have gladly gone to his own death if she had been safe with her family, but now he had to fight again. Fight for her as well as for Earth and the sick and slippery feeling in his gut told him he was going to lose at Canary Wharf.

What he lost was Rose. He had been so foolishly proud of his clever plan: he'd brought alone TWO magna-clamps, after all! Fate chewed up his pride and spit it back into his screaming face as he watched Rose lose her grip on the lever. Everything came down to this; every adventure, every word, every hug, every bit of hand holding. It all came down to the anxious glance Rose gave him over her shoulder just before she vanished in Pete's saving arms.

They never said a word. There was no time and yet they communicated clearly. She had looked back to see if he was all right. (I want you safe. My Doctor) She wanted to make sure he hadn’t let go and if not for that look, he would have. He was going to because by this time existence without Rose Marion Tyler to anchor him and hold him together didn’t bear imagining. Yet by the time his shocked muscles relaxed it was too late for the sacrifice. The void closed without its willing passenger. 

How could this be all right? How could he have spent hundreds of years ensuring that Rose Marion Tyler would exist and would run with him only to have her torn from his side so soon? How could this be the end of their story? When the numbing shock and the crushing grief abated he was going to find out. After all, he was a Time Lord and the rules of time belonged to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I have three pictures to work with, so obviously there will be three chapters, but may be there will be a fourth which involves another Doctor as well... time will tell. :)
> 
> I'm trying to be historically accurate (thank you Google) so if you catch me out on something, I will try to make adjustments.


End file.
